Oprah In Vancouver: Good, Bad, Ugly Confessions

I love that Oprah Winfrey has lived the life of a pauper, a prince and a prophet. I admire that, against all odds, Oprah has influenced pop culture while inspiring millions of people around the world to develop, believe and understand the power of their own present.

My Oprah confession: I would do anything for a chance to meet her. I'd wear a Tina Turner wig for a year, I'd eat a 67-pound wagon worth of fat, or I'd quit my radio job hosting PEAK Mornings for a chance to ugly cry in front of my television hero: Oprah Winfrey.

I found out Vancouver's Oprah Confessions were a little different: some good, some bad, and some ugly. For a week, 102.7 The Peak gave away tickets to "An Inspirational Evening with Oprah Winfrey" in exchange for listeners' Oprah Confessions.

"I confess that I think Oprah is totally overrated but my stepmom loves her and I need the brownie points!" — Victoria, Vancouver

"When I was a little girl in 1987, my Mom and I watched Oprah every day after school. I loved Oprah so much (she was my idol) that for Halloween this little freckled red head demanded my Mom dress me up like my Oprah. My Mom tried so hard to talk me out of it but I insisted - so she teased my red curls as big as she could and tried her best to cover my freckles, gave me long drop earning, shoulder pads but to my disappointment I looked nothing like Oprah. Near tears I convinced her to put some dark paint on my face (I know...I know..I was 8!!!). For me that did the trick and I happily headed out to trick or treat with the neighbourhood kids with only a couple of strange looks from the neighbours." — Shannon, Port Moody

"My fondest Oprah moments were watching with my Grandma (who wouldn't miss a show) - laughing, sometimes crying, and usually folding laundry. My grandma, still to this day, doesn't wear earrings because someone 20 years ago on the Oprah show said you shouldn't, if you wear glasses... this trend stubbornly continues with her hair style and clothing choices. Similar to the talk show legend, my Grandmother has been through a series of immense hardships in her life and continues to give the world to her family and friends. If we could share this with her it would be giving back to someone who has given so much in her life." — Sarah, Vancouver

"There is no one on the planet I loathe more than Oprah Winfrey. Some might be appalled by that but I don't care. I am a proud Oprah hater!! However, my sweet mother loves Oprah and she would LOVE me forever if I won some tickets for her. I am also very poor and can't afford them. Although few can - have you seen the prices? Only Oprah herself might be able to afford to go!! Pretty please with sugar on top? I would be willing to sit through Oprah Winfrey for my momma. If that's not love then I surely don't know what love is." — Rae-Ann, Vancouver

"I'm winning these for my mom because she loves Oprah. In fact, one year, at Christmas dinner, in the folly of my youth, I mocked Oprah. You know what my mom did? My mom, being the fan that she is, asked me to go home. That's right. She kicked her own daughter out on Christmas, for Oprah. That's how big of a fan she is. The biggest secret of all is, now that I'm older, I'm kind of a fan myself. But don't tell my mom that. She's already right about too many things." — Joanna, Vancouver

WEST HOLLYWOOD, UNITED STATES: US talk show host Oprah Winfrey arrives at the Vanity Fair dinner and post-party celebrating the seventy-fourth Academy Awards, 24 March 2002, at Mortons in West Hollywood, CA. AFP PHOTO/RICH SCHMITT (Photo credit should read RICH SCHMITT/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Talk show host Oprah Winfrey attends the 46th Annual Equal Opportunity Day Awards Dinner November 13, 2002 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. (Photo by John Falls/Getty Images)

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - NOVEMBER 27: (UK NEWSPAPERS OUT) Actress and talk show host Oprah Winfrey attends the Thanksgiving Dinner prior to the 46664 concert on November 27, 2003 in Cape Town, South Africa. The concert will take place on November 29th and will benefit the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the fight against AIDS in Africa. Artists performing will include Bono, Queen, Peter Gabriel, The Eurythmics, Beyonce, Youssou N'Dour, and may other internations and African musicians. It will be one of the biggest rock events ever staged in Africa and will also be the most widely distributed media event in history with a potential audience of more than 2 billion people in 166 countries. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Television personality Oprah Winfrey attends the 60th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall June 11, 2006 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Television journalist Barabra Walters poses with honoree Oprah Winfrey at The New York Public Library's Annual Library Lions Gala at The New York Public Library on November 13, 2006 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 25: Television personality Oprah Winfrey arrives at the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons on February 25, 2007 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Oprah Winfrey attends the 25th Anniversary of the Annual CFDA Fashion Awards held at the New York Public Library on June 4, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images for CFDA)

NEW YORK - DECEMBER 03: Oprah Winfrey attends the opening night performance celebrating Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 50th anniversary at the New York City Center on December 3, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 13: Executive producer Oprah Winfrey walks onstage at the 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' screening introduction during the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival held at Roy Thomson Hall on September 13, 2009 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by C.J. LaFrance/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: TV personality Oprah Winfrey hosts The Oprah Winfrey Show: Fridays Live From New York at Rumsey Playfield on September 18, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 07: Oprah Winfrey presents onstage during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on March 7, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - MAY 03: Designer Oscar de la Renta and Oprah attend the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the 'American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity' exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

CULVER CITY, CA - JUNE 10: Actress Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey in the audience during the 38th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Mike Nichols held at Sony Pictures Studios on June 10, 2010 in Culver City, California. The AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Mike Nichols will premiere on TV Land on Saturday, June 25 at 9PM ET/PST. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for AFI)

LONG BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 26: Oprah Winfrey is honored with Minerva Award at Maria Shriver Women's Conference at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 26, 2010 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 4: (AFP OUT) Oprah Winfrey, one of the 2010 Kennedy Center honorees, arrives with Stedman Graham for the formal artist's dinner for the Kennedy Center Honors at the United States Department of State December 4, 2010 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 14: Oprah Winfrey gestures during the first taping of the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' at the Sydney Opera House on December 14, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. 12,000 audience members were selected from 350,000 applicants to participate in two tapings of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' at the Sydney Opera House. Oprah descended on Australia last week with 302 super fans from the US, Canada and Jamaica to produce four shows for the 25th and final season of the program. the shows will air in the US and Australia in January 2011. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Presenter Oprah Winfrey speaks onstage during the 83rd Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on February 27, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Oprah attends Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular at the United Center on May 17, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 24: Ralph Lauren and Oprah Winfrey attend an evening with Ralph Lauren hosted by Oprah Winfrey and presented at Lincoln Center on October 24, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Ralph Lauren)

MEYERTON, HENLEY ON KLIP - JANUARY 14: Oprah Winfrey with the Graduates at the inaugural graduation of the class of 2011 at Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls on January 14, 2012 in Henley on Klip, South Africa. (Photo by Michelly Rall/Getty Images)